Alternative to a petrol DCT from price perspective; MT vs IMT

Reason for only considering automatic was to rid myself from the pain of changing gears but more using the clutch repeatedly.

BHPian aniridhbb recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So, this is a spin-off from my related post on booking a Sonet DCT Petrol with endless waiting, 5 months as per the last update and from the time of booking.

Thread with loads of perspectives from BHPIans here In this thread, I wanted to get different views on whether I should consider manual or IMT from a cost-cutting perspective, getting a bigger car with same features or not.

For instance, I loved the Astor/Creta/Seltos but the automatic version is 5 lakhs more than the Sonet DCT, the manual version will come within my budget of 15L with all features intact.

When I started my car hunt in September, I was ONLY looking at automatic (different variants) but with the price difference upwards of 1.5 Lakh minimum, thinking whether options like manual or IMT are worth considering.

Currently I am driving a manual WagonR. My usage will be around 35-40 kms as and when things go back to Work-from-office on a regular basis. At present my monthly running is 500 kms since the past 18 months.

Reason for only considering automatic was to rid myself from the pain of changing gears but more using the clutch repeatedly. It does hurt the leg/knee and has serious long-term implications in long run.

Am I overthinking for or against manual/automatic?

Would be great to get views of people who were in a similar boat as mine who considering automatic but moved to manual or were on manual and have now moved to automatic.

Here's what BHPian abhishek46 had to say on the matter:

I picked Manual over Automatic, when I picked up the Creta few months back.

Here are my reasons:

• Applicability of the convenience factor:

The AT will be a blessing once office starts.

However, with wave after wave, variant after variant of Covid arriving every 8-9months, we do not expect offices to start in full fledged manner any time soon.

Even if offices open, it may be 2-3 days per week.

In this scenario, an AT is adding lesser value than expected.

End result: Rather than office commute, I am now using the vehicle more on the open highways, where AT does not add much value.

• Beating the Rush:

Just before Covid, due to change in our office premises, my commute went up to 40Km daily.

Rather than wasting time in traffic, I would start at odd-hours like 7am/12am etc.

• Efficiency:

MTs are more efficient.

Agreed, the new gen ATs are great etc., however, MT vehicles deliver a bit more fuel efficiency.

In today's age of sky high priced fuel, every little helps.

Here's what BHPian Gokuljayaraj had to say on the matter:

I used to love the stick so much that I even hated AT with a passion at one point in my life. But with worse weather conditions leading to even worse roads that I thought possible, the DCT on my seltos is an absolute godsend. It’s just so much easier to drive for an hour or two in slow traffic on non existent roads without having to worry about shifting gears. If you have the dough to spare, get some form of AT. It’ll save you a lot of headache down the road as our roads will only get busier as days go by. I still miss the stick on highways due to nostalgia but I’m happy I went with the AT. I don’t think you need to worry about the specific form of AT unless you care about performance too much.

Here's what BHPian Hayek had to say on the matter:

In my opinion, you are overthinking this. The convenience that comes with an automatic is certainly worth it, especially for someone who lives in a large metro like Bombay, Bangalore or Delhi. The fact is that we very often are stuck in stop and go traffic - and an automatic is a God Send in such circumstances. If you lived in a small town, perhaps this would not be relevant. But paying ₹2 l extra for an automatic when you are ok spending ₹15 l on a car is a no brainier in my view - you are doing to keep this car for several years and will also recover part of the extra cost on resale.

Seeing you are from Bangalore, I would say auto is totally worth it.

 

In 2016 when I bought Octavia, it was my priority to get a Manual and I totally love driving it every time. Having driven DSG diesel Octavia and Jetta extensively, I felt my manual is still much more fun to drive. But if I have to buy now, and if it is my only car, I would go for an auto. The traffic in Bangalore has worsened and it’s indeed difficult to live with a manual car in city, even for a die hard manual fan like me. To overcome this I am changing my beater car (again a manual) to an automatic city car.

 

So if it’s only car and will be driven most of the time in city, please do yourself a favour and get an auto.

 

IMT though a good compromise, but from my driving experience it’s neither here nor there. I would pick a proper auto over IMT.